GAO says Taliban may have U.S. weapons By Joseph Giordono, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Friday, February 13, 2009
American officials have lost track of tens of thousands of weapons intended for Afghan security forces, with some of the weapons heading to the Taliban, according to a government audit released Thursday.
A Government Accountability Office audit found that inventory controls were lacking for around 87,000 of the 242,000 U.S.-procured weapons given to Afghan forces between 2004 and 2008.
Additionally, reliable records were not kept for around 135,000 weapons donated from other NATO countries.
Afghan forces "cannot fully safeguard and account for weapons. As a result, weapons (the U.S. military) has provided to (Afghan National Security Forces) are at serious risk of theft or loss," the GAO said.
The audit raises concerns about accountability, with a major push in training of Afghan forces as part of a refined war strategy.
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